Page 43 of Saved By the Headless Horseman
My father’s eyes widen as I charge at him with the dagger extended.I slice at his silk shirt, but he manages to dodge any deadly blows.Subduing my wrists, he throws the dagger away.Squeezing my bones to the point of breaking, he looks over his shoulder.
“Guards!”he barks.
Two sets of heavy footsteps pound down the stairs.The king’s guards are dressed in their white armour, the royal crest decorating their chest plates.My father swiftly hands my shrieking form over to them.I buck and thrash against their grips, trying my best to break free.
“Listen here,” my father snarls.“You can watch as I kill your bastard lover.Again.”
I bare my teeth at him, shaking with fury.The scent of burning wood wraps around me.I need to be smart, but my rage is too great.My body’s only instinct is to fight until the bitter end.
“This time, it will be permanent,” my father declares.
With a sharp nod, one of the guards releases me.My arms are pinned behind my back as the other goes to Krane’s cell and unlocks it.A sob rattles me as Krane is pulled free.In the stark light, the pain he’s been subjected to is even more gruesome.The skin of his back has been flayed and burned.The gray edges curl up along the sides of the wounds.Muscles have been sliced back until pale white bone pokes free.
The state of his hands reveals missing fingers cut down to bloody stubs.My stomach rolls and I nearly choke on bile.
“No!”I scream, my wild eyes searching for any way out of this.“Mother!Stop this.Do something!”
My mother looks up, her face once the woman I turned to for comfort.There is a warmth there that I remember, but the frigid mask of Countess Christina quickly wipes it.She is not my mother; she is Earl Richard Crest’s wife.
“I’m sorry, Scarlett.”Her voice is flat.“There is nothing that can be done now.”
“Silence,” my father commands.“This thing doesn’t seem to die no matter how much pain it’s in—how much blood it loses.”
The guard drops Krane’s arm, and he nearly falls to the floor.His green fire is barely an ember now.He could heal from these wounds, but not with those shackles weakening him.If only I could’ve removed them, we might’ve had a fighting chance.
“The priest who meant to marry you and Earl Bram had come to me a week ago, telling me of the creature who had slaughtered the duke.I was sure he was mistaken—sure no such thing existed, but just in case, I found a sorceress who could aid me for a steep price.Once Earl Bram was found dead, I knew it was a matter of time before that thing came for me.”My father chuckles, digging into his coat pocket.“She had informed me that the Headless Horseman is a vengeful spirit—forged from a restless soul murdered unjustly.I could only think of one person who that could be, and I knew this would only end in death.His or mine.She told me they were near impossible to kill.Unless I had this.”
Ice coats my veins as my father produces a small pistol from his pocket.The barrel is engraved with the same markings etched into Krane’s shackles.It glints in the low light of the dungeon.My father’s smile widens into deadly points.His polluted soul rises to the surface.
“Cost nearly my weight in gold,” my father proclaims proudly.
Of that, I have no doubt, that kind of weapon comes from far-off lands.The king would have his head if he learned my father was in possession of one.Producing a silver bullet, he loads it into the chamber.His meaty thumb digs into the hammer, pulling it back until the distinct click of a bullet rattles into position.
“One shot should do the trick.”
Krane doesn’t even try to flee.He’s too weak.It’s a miracle he’s still standing upright.Gore and blood are dried along his chest and stain the top of his pants.Green flames flicker for a moment as he lifts his head towards me—my vision blurs with unshed tears.
He’s not strong enough to speak, but I hear his words echo down our bond.They whisper into my heart and solidify in my soul.He’s giving me his love, beseeching me to forgive him.I can almost hear his frantic plea.He wishes we had more time—that every moment together was a precious gift.Wherever we go in death, he’ll be waiting for me.Our love is eternal.
My father levels the gun at Krane’s chest.
A cry builds in my throat.All of my love and anger fuel me, strengthen me in a way I haven’t felt before.This can’t be the end.We haven’t endured all this pain not to get our happy ending.My shriek surprises the guard enough to loosen his grip just enough for me to yank myself free.
Without time to think, I rush towards Krane.His green flames expand, but I’m moving too fast for him to stop me.I launch myself in front of him, soaring through the air just in time to watch my father squeeze the trigger.A loud bang assaults my ears.Blooming pain erupts in my abdomen.
I gasp, clattering against Krane.He manages to lift his hands and cradle me to him.Looking down, crimson liquid pools along the front of my gown.I press a hand there, sticky blood soaking it instantly.
“Foolish child,” my father spits behind me.
Krane collapses to his knees, holding me tightly against him.I wanted to die for so long, and now with the certainty of it looming, I feel a strange sense of peace.Perhaps because he is here, holding me to him.I won’t be alone in my final moments.The pain is shocking, nearly stealing my vision.
Lifting my blood-soaked hand, I cup his crumbling cheek.The flames dance inside his eyes, trying to ignite and failing.My tongue turns heavy in my mouth, but I press on.
“I love you,” I whisper.
Krane whimpers, his mutilated fingers digging into me.
“You are my sun.I am your moon.We will be reunited again.Nothing can ever keep us apart.”
